Diversifying the business made easier because everyone is so damn kind...

If recent events have taught me anything, it is that a lot of people are really very kind. Here’s how things have been for me in an attempt to diversify my little business to stop it (and my sanity) from crumbling…

Come April I’m usually elbows deep in piles of place settings, with drying racks precariously balanced on boxes and stools around the studio. I could be writing beautiful passages of script for couple’s vows, making bespoke signage and commissions, or laying out those ever-changing table plans. April to October is peak wedding season and I love it, every job is different as every couple’s vision for their big day is personal to them. It keeps me on my toes, forges lasting relationships with my clients, and allows me to be really creative.

So when lockdown began here in the UK at the end of March, couples were faced with impossible decisions to make in regards to their big days, amplified with the uncertainty or scale of the pandemic which was largely unknown. Many postponed by a few months, lots postponed to next year too. Years of meticulous planning for the perfect day, which will happen but not on the date dreamed of for so long.

So, as a freelancer relying on on-the-day wedding stationery for the coming months, panic started to set in. Far from making me rich, this little business of mine usually covers the kid’s nursery bill and allows me to contribute towards the household bills. Oh and we can usually afford a few outings to soft play and kid cafes here and there (god I never thought I’d say I missed those places). Despite the panic, I eventually convinced myself it’ll probably be OK, it won’t last long, we have a little pot of savings if we need it, we could take a mortgage holiday, and luckily my husband has the ‘grown up’ salaried job. But it’s in sports marketing and events… suddenly the Olympics and other major sporting events are postponed, 1st of April approaches and furlough commences.

In spite of this however, the sun has been shining SO MUCH, we have an 18 month old son who is absolutely winning at life right now with two parents at his beckoned call all day every day. More family time has been amazing, but after a week or two of no new enquiries and very little news from my summer couples, I decided I needed to refocus my energy. My little business was my first baby and I couldn’t bear to see it fall flat after all the years of hard work. It allows me the flexibility to be a parent first and foremost at the end of the day, and I feel very lucky to have a job I really love.

Luckily I already had a small range of greeting cards and art prints for sale on my website, Etsy and Not on the High Street, which I usually find the time to focus some time on outside of the peak wedding months. After a week of wobbling back and forth as to whether I should even keep any of my online storefronts open, I came to the conclusion that my small volume of orders wouldn’t rest too heavily with an already crippled Royal Mail service, and any local deliveries could be done tied in with the weekly shop.

On the posting front, I discovered a Royal Mail parcel dropbox within a few minutes drive from our house, and began using Click and Drop on the Royal Mail website to buy postage for packages. The collection time is an hour later than my local post office too. I added a free delivery option to my website when spending a nominal amount, and most of my products on Not on the High Street already had free delivery too.

In terms of my product range, my greeting cards are always designed with multiple occasions in mind wherever possible, so I added a multi-card option to my website to allow customers to order a few cards at once, saving on the costs of the cards and also the postage. I also gave customers the option to have cards and gifts sent directly to the recipients so that they could avoid an unnecessary trip out for stamps or to the post box.

I feel incredibly lucky to have a handful of orders coming in every day, genuinely every time I get one I get a little buzz of excitement, wondering what it might be and who will get to enjoy something I’ve designed and made. I’m proud that I’ve designed everything I sell and almost all of my greeting cards and prints are printed here in my little home studio.

So it’s been a different start to spring/summer than usual, but when I began by saying people are really very kind, I’m led to believe so because of you all sending lovely messages of support to me, but mainly for such thoughtful greeting cards sent to one another. Whether just as a token to brighten up somebody’s day, let them know you miss them, or say thank you for a small gesture, it’s been pure joy to send your kind words directly to your loved ones, and also to pack and send to you to send on, knowing that some happy post through someone’s letterbox will bring a little spark to their mood in such uncertain times.

I’ll end by saying a huge thank you for your support over the past few months, it’s hard to know whether you will continue to shop online when the physical shops reopen in the coming weeks, but I’ll keep offering free delivery where I can and posting your orders as quickly as I can, and I hope you’ll continue to support small while the going is a little tough all round.

Policy and approach for keeping the business running safely during COVID-19

Firstly, a huge thank you for visiting my website. Whilst I continue to receive and send your orders I wanted to assure you of the measures I am taking at this time to run the business with as little impact as possible while taking the safest approach to shipping.

I work from a home studio so am not taking any risks in travelling to/from a place of work. I have spent the duration self-isolating with my husband and young son and none of us have experienced any symptoms of COVID-19. If any of us do, orders will be refunded immediately and I will cease trade until I can ensure the household are clear and well.

I am limiting my trips to the post office by using the Royal Mail’s Click & Drop service, which means I can use the post box to send most of my orders and limit all human contact. I have taken the decision to stop sending internationally wherever possible.

I am more than happy to send orders directly to recipients on your behalf for no extra cost to avoid you making any unnecessary trips, just let me know what you’d like writing in your cards/gift orders at checkout.

I am posting orders every two working days (or once a week if post office counter service is required) and upgrading postage to first class when feasible, but please be advised that there may be delays in receiving your orders at the moment. Royal Mail are under a lot of pressure currently with far less capacity and a huge increase in post to sort.

Lastly, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you for supporting my small business. I have received some truly wonderful messages from customers and lovely feedback and at such uncertain times as these it really does mean the world.

Stay safe, support small, and look forward to seeing you again soon x

Learning new skills in trying times

Well what a week it’s been, having felt I was being sensible and taking necessary precautions last weekend I postponed my approaching workshops for this month and next. Fast forward a few very long days later and we had all been advised to go full ‘social distancing’ mode, with all public events cancelled or postponed, not to mention lots of weddings too. It is heartbreaking to think of all the time and effort that has gone into planning your big day, so if you are a couple who have had to postpone your nuptials, I am so so sorry you are going through this.

While we all navigate what will certainly be a very different way of living over the coming weeks or months, I wanted to share some ‘how to’ videos so that you can use the time you might now have on your hands as wisely as possible! By learning calligraphy of course!

Head to my Instagram @kayleightarrant and you’ll find the first three highlights include handy snippets for approaching faux calligraphy, brush calligraphy, and pointed pen calligraphy.

As promised I wanted to follow up the videos with a blog post to include some of the information you might want to hold on to for future reference around equipment, mixing inks, and so forth.

First up, faux calligraphy: no special equipment needed, just any pens or pencils you might have lying around the house already. Blunt pencils are great as you can effectively apply more, or less pressure, to achieve the desired effect.

Brush calligraphy: A round paint brush and a brush pen both feature in the ‘how to’ videos, my preference would be a paint brush, but this is entirely personal preference. The paint brush I used in the video was a size 2 Pro Arte Masterstroke round brush, with Winsor & Newton drawing ink in Viridian. The brush pen I used was a Tombow, these pens have a felt tip on one end and a brush pen on the other end, and come in lots of different colours.

Pointed pen calligraphy: I used a Japanese Nikko G nib (available to buy here), a Speedball straight pen holder (available to buy here), with Higgins Eternal Black Ink (available to buy here). The Winsor & Newton drawing ink mentioned above for brush calligraphy can also be used for dip pen calligraphy, but do ensure the quality of your paper can withstand this or it may bleed. You can buy my practice pad featured in the videos here.

You can also mix your own ink for dip pen calligraphy or brush calligraphy by mixing Gouache in your chosen colour (widely available at art stores) with water. Just add the gouache first (if your not planning on using the ink for a huge project just use a dollop the size of your thumb nail to avoid waste) and add water using a pipette or paint brush and mixing until you achieve a single cream consistency. The ink can then be painted onto your nib, or you can add a little more water to dip the nib if you have mixed a larger quantity.

I would suggest beginning your practice with some simple mark making and drills, and you can then progress onto forming letters. Please don’t be tempted to move too fast, if you master applying the pressure and taking it off at the right times, you will begin to develop muscle memory and your lettering will flow much more easily with your confidence. This free printable worksheet from The Postman’s Knock is great for getting started.

I am very happy to provide feedback virtually as you practice, but please do be patient as calligraphy requires lots of practice, even if it may look straightforward at first glance. It is an excellent skill for practicing mindfulness though, so I hope that you are able to find a little solace in your practice, and write some beautiful things for those you care about and can’t currently spend time with.

Enjoy!

Pride of place settings

I’ve had the pleasure of working on some pretty cool and unique place settings for weddings and events this summer, from musical instruments such as maracas and tambourines, to some truly instagram-worthy rose quartz slices and cotton kit bags. While I’m busy putting pen to all manner of creative ideas I thought it was about time I shared some of my favourites from recent years. Feast your eyes on these unique place settings for directing your guests to their seats, and just you try and wrestle them from their grasp at the end of the night…

First up, these moustaches and paper fans made excellent photo props:

These fun moustache props were personalised for the gents to find their seats at a beautiful destination wedding in Chateau St. Martory, captured by David Wheeler Photography. There were also…

…fans for the ladies, creating plenty of photo opportunities for the guests while keeping them cool during dinner in the chateau courtyard.

Next up, these were one of my absolute favourites, vintage glass bottles (and glass tankards for the gents):

Personalised vintage glass bottles sourced by the couple made a beautiful keepsake for all the guests to keep. Captured by Matt Horan Photography.

Tambourines, need I say more:

These tambourines were sourced by the couple and personalised with the guests names in deep grey. Captured by Beccy Goddard at Aswarby Rectory, Lincolnshire.

Individual menus for the guests place settings are also a great way to combine stationery elements and a great keepsake for memory boxes and scrapbooks:

Personalised individual menu cards doubled up as place settings, hot foil printed by Rose Press and captured by Joanna Brown at Ragley Hall

These cotton rag handmade paper place cards sitting atop cute gold animals were pretty cute too:

Captured by Matt Horan Photography at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham.